Intrinsic Information Preferences and Skewness

Presenter

Yeşim Orhun, Assistant Professor of Marketing

Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Homepage: http://yesimorhun.com/

Time and location

North Quad 4330, Thursday (2:00-3:00) pm

Abstract

We are running a field experiment with the Marching Band as a follow-on experiment to our lab findings. We aim to document the extent to which they avoid feedback about their performance, and to test whether their demand for information varies with the skewness of the information structure. Members of the marching band audition for each show on a weekly basis. Their performance is scored, and they are picked to perform in the show based on their rank determined by this score. Currently, they learn whether they made the show or not via an email from the director. They can get detailed feedback about their performance by going to office hours. The GSI’s think that only about half of them seek such feedback. We will be sending surveys out on the day the show-list is announced. The surveys will include questions like: Would you like to know your rank among the people who made the show? Would you like to know if you were in the top 4? Would you like to know if you were in the bottom 4? We are interested in their answers to these questions (information demand) and their subsequent office-hour attendance. There are 3-4 waves of auditions we plan to use. We are actively debating how to allocate our questions over members and time, keeping in mind that each question is a treatment that changes future beliefs and behavior. We would love to get your thoughts.